Landlord Services & Boiler Replacement

Landlord Services & Boiler Replacement

As a landlord, you have the responsibility to ensure that your properties are compliant with health and safety regulations in order to ensure that your tenants are safe and secure. It is now compulsory for a landlord to have a Gas Safety Record, to ensure that all small appliances are safe and to have an EPC rating of E or above. Here are a few of the ways in which we can help to keep you compliant and your tenants safe. 

Gas Safety Records

In the UK, property landlords are legally required to maintain and repair, if necessary, any gas pipework, flues or appliances in order to keep them in a safe condition for their tenants. A Gas Safety Record is the documentation that records the results of a Gas Safety Check and can only be issued by a Gas Safe engineer.

Within your Gas Safety Record, you should find the name, registration number and signature of the engineer who performed the Gas Safety Check for you, a description (including the location) of all gas appliances, information regarding any defects or action that needs to be taken in order to keep the appliances safe and other information relating to your property such as the address and your name as the landlord. 

PAT Testing

If you, as the landlord, also provide your tenants with any small appliances such as a kettle, washing machine, tumble dryer or fridge, then the law also states that these must be kept in a safe condition for your tenants to use. If a tenant were to harm themselves on an unsafe small appliance then you leave yourself open to being sued. At present, the best way to protect yourself against this issue is to conduct a PAT (Portable Appliance Test) on any small appliances provided to your tenants. Although PAT testing is not required by law, it is considered best practice. 

Although a PAT test does not need to be carried out by a specific engineer, as with the Gas Safety Check, it is still often best to have them conducted by a qualified electrician or someone who is able to more easily see any common small appliance faults. Some things to look out for include any damage to the lead cable, damage to the plug, loose wires or missing screws, signs of the appliance overheating and any problems with the way the appliance is stored, such as in a damp or dusty condition. 

Electrical Installation Condition Reports

Faulty and old wiring is the single biggest cause of fire within the home and so it can be beneficial to have periodic Electrical Installation Condition Inspections conducted in order to find any problems with the wiring and to rectify them before they cause any lasting damage. If you are letting out an older house, then it is especially important to have an Electrical Installation Condition Inspection conducted prior to letting the property out to tenants as many electrical fittings and fixtures have been phased out since the 1960s as they have now been deemed unsafe. Electrical Installation Condition Inspections should be conducted by qualified and registered electricians. 

Boiler Replacements

As of April 2018, it has been illegal for landlords to let out their properties if they have an EPC rating below E. This means that for landlords letting out older properties, many have had to have their boilers replaced and additional insulation installed in order to improve their efficiency rating. By far the most common cause of a poor EPC rating is an inadequate boiler, such as the old fire and back boilers which are no longer made. A new efficient boiler not only helps to raise a property’s Energy Performance Certificate rating but is less likely to break down and will often save tenants money on their heating bills.

How can we help?

Here at Arktek Heating Services, we offer standalone and packaged landlord services to ensure that you are fully compliant and that your tenants are looked after. Whether you are looking for a Gas Safety Check, PAT testing, an Electrical Condition Report or a boiler replacement, we’ve got you covered.

Give us a call on 0191 516 6911 to discuss our landlord property services and we will arrange a convenient time for one of our qualified engineers to attend your property. Having conducted the service or repair, we’ll then let you know that your repair has been successful, giving you the peace of mind that everything has been taken care of as if it were inside your own home.